Unaquinted Love
by Shado Tenshi
Summary: Zack,a werewolf prince,goes to hunt and later rescues a strange creature,Cloud. Zack brings him to his clan,and falls in love. But Cloud has secrets that could tear them apart. Can a vampire love a werewolf? And what will happen to Cloud's dying clan? ZxC
1. Prologue

Shado: I came up with this idea a very long time ago. I was looking around my documents for an essay, and I found this. And sorry to say, this will be a longshot until I can at least be done with either Lost Angel or Love Hurts. Whichever came first.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Prologue

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The winds shifted, headed south from the north, creating a small rustle in the green leaved trees. Swiftly moving like a dance in the wind, hanging onto the branches to stay alive and not wither on the ground. The sudden change in the wind brought a wolf's sense of smell more accurate at his surroundings. He grinned, running swift against the cool wind. Now he had an advantage of finding his soon to be prey within the forest.

He was a werewolf. A young, strong werewolf who was next in line to be leader in his flourishing clan. His father, the kind and well known leader of the Angel Clan. Why the clan is called 'Angel'? Well because every future leader had a marking of two, white wings on their left side. One an ordinary marking of a white wing, the second a smaller type.

Angeal was the current alpha male. His fur a glistening grey, with black aging fur markings on his head and neck, a so light grey that it was almost too hard to see the white angel wings on his shoulder. But they were visible none of the less. He was kind, cared for everyone in his clan. Under his rule, the Angel Clan flourished and became a tender, well known clan.

Angeal's son, however, was still very much like a pup even for his age. In werewolf form, he was the opposite of his father. Zack's fur was a dark shade of ebony, glistening in the moonlight, almost flashing white, when he runs fast in grassy meadows. A black, spiky mane spread about his neck, almost going down to his back and hung down the sides of his neck like a mane. A loose black bang hung over his forehead, in between two sharp ears. Along the underside of his body, was a dark shade of grey, the only indication he was in fact Angeal's son.

The whole clan thought of him as the hyper energetic pup. Always grinning, trying to cheer everyone up when something goes wrong with a hunt. Zack in a way was a spinning image of his father when they're human. He still had the spiky, black hair going down his shoulders with the loose bang over his right side. Angeal rather had a natural look to his hair, pulled back to avoid his broad face.

Both father and son were tall, a little bit above average. Their strong, build upper body made many woman sigh in a dreamy state. Zack wasn't as well toned as his father, but he made up musculine body with speed, luck, and his wide casual grin. The young werewolf was always so hyper, or so caught up over something so simple he was nicknamed the puppy in the clan.

But now, Zack was going to show them. He wasn't as lazy the pack thought he was, in fact it was only his father who knew he was smart. Angeal's son just needed to practice more on concentrating on one thing long enough and he'll catch on. Now if only Zack didn't have a curious personality on him, he wouldn't get as distracted than he should.

With a huff, Zack slowed down, slinking into the shadows, making sure to hide his mark behind a tree so it wouldn't give him away. The werewolf perked its ears, listening for the faintest step of his prey, a doe heading to a nearby stream. The stream was in plain sight of Zack, there was a bush on both sides of him, and hiding his form. Patiently he waited, crouched to hide his grey belly.

There. The doe cautiously stepped into the open, making her way to the edge. Ears flattened, Zack readied himself for the precise moment to launch. He watched, as the doe took her chance and lowered her head to drink. A good one minute passed, and the werewolf leaped. Zack jumped in full speed, the doe hardly had enough time to reach to the assault. She only had time to raise her head when Zack latched his jaws on her neck.

Zack crunched down, suffocating the doe as it let out a last grunt before it fell limp next to it's killer. Keeping his jaws on the neck a few minutes more for good measure, the werewolf pulled away. Licking away the blood on his lips, Zack grinned in victory. His first successful kill, and Zack didn't mess up even for a second! Zack felt like doing a back flip. But he had to eat what he could and fast.

The young werewolf didn't wasn't to waste his energy dragging his kill back to camp, plus that would take time. But Zack did have enough energy to drag the doe out of the opening and into the bushes. Now back in the shadows, Zack began devouring his fill. For Zack, he had a big appetite, and he always went for the upper respiratory half of his food. Tear his way to the heart with paws and teeth without swallowing, then devour the creature's heart whole then start his work in the stomach area.

'Always keep your honor, even to your prey and your enemies.' Angeal told him once, and since then Zack always ate the heart of his prey to show his own honor. When the heart was the first organ to be eating, in Zack's point of view, helped his prey on the way to the afterlife and leave him in peace. Many in the pack thought him as crazy, but Zack took every word from his father's teachings and literally implanted them into his head. The young werewolf also did a good job of keeping his word.

But halfway through eating the intestines, something screamed in the forest some ten leagues away. At the instant Zack raised his head and perked his ears to pinpoint the source. The anguish cry came from the south, further into the forest. His paws felt strong vibrations, something big was chasing whatever screamed. And it was big. Never one to fail helping others in need, Zack broke into a full run towards the commotion.

With a good run and a few leaps, Zack reached a small clearing to find a paler almost golden wolf defending itself from a bear demon. The wolf was smaller than Zack, and one of it's legs was injured, but worse was that there was a gaping wound around it's rib area on the left side. Ears flattening, Zack watched a few seconds as the other tried desperately to injure the bear's eyes so it could run.

Howling, Zack leaped at the bear, paws around the thick neck and biting and tearing at the small ears. The bear roared in anger, trying to swipe the werewolf off with no success. The paler wolf blinked, considering whetherto run or help fight. With a loud huff, the paler wolf lashed it's sharp nailes at the bear's face, scratching one of the eyes and it's nose. With a defeaning roar, the bear demon rose to it's hind legs, turning itself to the other direction.

Instantly Zack let go of the captive ear and watched in victory as the bear galloped oddly towards wherever it's den was. Turning around, Zack stared at the other wolf, taking a better look at the beautiful creature in front of him. The wolf was a creamy pale in the shadows, but in the moonlight it's fur shown like golden silk. The ears were pointed and curved cutely, giving it a bit more of a puppy look. What Zack found astonishing him was the eyes, the eyes were a deep shade of blue.

"Thanks...I owe you, if you didn't come along I'd for sure be bear kill." the wolf huffed, still trying to catch it's breath.

Zack could hear the rasping and cracking of the lungs trying to work. He didn't know much of injuries inside, but he knew that cracking in the lungs meant you had a lung problem. Blinking, Zack realized that the panting wolf in front of him had sharp canines. They were sharper than any wolf's Zack had ever seen. The werewolf prince glanced at the paws, seeing that they were flexing the nails in and out like a cougar's.

"You're not a normal wolf." Zack tilted his head.

The cute ears flattened. "I'm no ordinary creature. In fact, I'm not sure how to show my thanks to you."

Zack gave him a confused look as the wolf took a step back, lowering it's head in fear. He noticed the strange creature was also shaking, making his lungs cracking even more.

"Why are you scared?"

"I'm not what you think I am..."

Zack confidently stepped closer and gave the other a formal lick on his cheek. Gently Zack nudged the wolf to follow, also mixing his scent onto the other's fur. Tentively the paler followed, limping a little as they walked side by side.

"Oh, forgive my manners. I'm Zack." the werewolf grinned.

"I'm Cloud."

"Cloud eh?" Zack glanced at the golden shine fur. "It suits you."

"That's what everyone says." the paler snorted.

"Oh really? Everyone calls me puppy." the werewolf wagged his tail.

"Oh? I can see why." Cloud tried to laugh, but quickly turned into coughing because of his lungs.

"Hey, I've got a kill up ahead, right next to it is water. We'll rest there for a bit until you're ready to move again." Zack offered.

"Thank you...it'll probably take a few minutes."

"Take as long as you want buddy."

Zack sat down as he watched Cloud first take a good gulpfulls of water. Afterwards the pale wolf's breathing got better. And Cloud's strength seemed to be returning after taking in the rest of the stomach intestines that Zack didn't get to finish. Zack felt a small bit of guilt for not finishing the intestines in time, but Cloud needed it the most. Plus, Cloud looked a lot better after he finished his fill.

"Ready? Let's get going. I don't want to get caught in the dawn." Zack stood up.

"Yea. Let's go. You sure you don't want anymore?" Cloud politely asked.

"Yea I'm sure. Besides, we need to get going." Zack said, leading the way.

Cloud followed, silently hoping that every being above that he wouldn't get killed when he reached the clan. He knew that the leader was forgiving, and treated his enemies as if they were friends unless they attacked first. Cloud hoped that the rumours were true. Plus, he was in the forest for a good five months, so Cloud's true scent was covered with pines and forest wilderness.

The two traveled to the edges of the forest, across the meadow and towards the edge of the Angel Clan territory. The territory was centered in the valley, but was still surrounded by a wide river that held a strong barrier from the vulnerable dens or huts of the Angel Clan. From the mountains Cloud always peered at the territory, taking in every detail in case he needed to blend in and escape any of the other clans trying to take over his familiy's territory.

There was five, including him, that were the possible next leader of the nearly wiped out Kaosu Hyoukyo Clan. Many of the other clans just called his clan Boutoku Clan to shorten the meaning of the clan. But Kaosu Hyoukyo was the original name, one that rarely anyone outside of the clan knew. It was said that this clan was cursed, cursed by a being that was dangerous, and brought many bloodshed in every other generation of the bloodline of the clan.

Cloud hoped that his home scent wouldn't be revealed for the next few days that he needed to heal. By then he would leave and return safely to his clan without anyone realizing he was missed. After all, Cloud was only a shadow to the whole clan. The only person that kept him sane was his father, who saw him as a unique creature compared to the rest of the clan.

Sighing, Cloud pushed his family out of his mind. Right now he needed to focus on giving a good impression that he was a werewolf. He only needed to hide his nails, and keep his mouth shut so his fangs won't get noticed. It would make Cloud feel a lot better if he managed to sleep in the same hut as Zack. Then when Zack was asleep Cloud could roll the clan's scent over him to cover his scent.

The pair reached the river, and Cloud suddenly felt unsure of himself. He didn't know how the werewolves crossed the river. No matter how many times he watched the valley from the mountains, he couldn't see just how the werewolves crossed the the wide river that would drown any that would try to swim across. Cloud glanced around, taking note there wasn't any docks or boats or even a glimpse of a bridge.

"Don't worry, I know of a secret way to get across. Just follow me, and keep your footing strong or you might get swept away." Zack explained.

_Keep your footing on what exactly? There isn't a sign of a bridge anywhere! _Cloud wanted to question his thoughts out loud. But instead he watched carefully as Zack walked straight to the water, walking in an odd way through the mudd until he found solid ground. Cloud nervously followed, his anxiety gave off a strong scent that nearly made Zack cough.

"Hey, relax. You'll be just fine." Zack tried to reassure.

Cloud slowly and reluctantly released the tension, shivering when his paws met the cold water. Following Zack's exact foot prints, Cloud found stones that was just below the surface, stretching across the river. It was strange for Cloud, he felt like walking on water. The stones were below the surface enough to stop anyone from being swept away, but deep enough for enemy clans to not notice them when they try to figure a way across.

Relieved, Cloud followed the shadow figure in front of him, for the coming mist was becoming thicker for the morning to come within a few hours. It wasn't until they reached the other side did Cloud stop to lick away the numbness in his paws. Zack chuckled, licking his own paws. When they finished Zack lead the way once again to the huts and dens. The whole clan was already out and watching their approach.

"Zack, I see that your solo hunt was sucessful." Angeal, the biggest of the werewolves, said.

Cloud instinctively lowered his gaze, keeping a good two tail lengths away from Zack.

"And who is this? I've never seen a wolf with such fur before." the leader turned his gaze upon Cloud.

Letting his instincts take over, Cloud lowered his ears in respect and bowed.

"And with manners." Angeal added.

"I saved him from becoming bear kill. He was already injured when I jumped in, so I thought I should bring him home. His lungs sound funny." Zack explained, gently nudging Cloud closer with his nose.

Cloud whined, he really wanted to snap his jaws at Zack's nose for not knowing anything about showing respect to anyone you met for the first time, but refrained now that he was surrounded by a well feared enemy. He glanced at Angeal, who studied him with gentle, caramel brown eyes. At once Cloud noticed that the leader recognized his origin, but what surprise him was that Angeal went along with his silent plea.

"Send him to Aerith, she will help him with his illness. And Zack, I'm proud of you. You were successful in your first hunt, and you helped another in need." Angeal smiled kindly.

"So he can stay?" Zack perked up, a wide hopeful grin on his face.

"Yes. And what would your name be?" Angeal asked, transforming into his human form.

"Cloud." the paler wolf replied, also going through transformation, as did everyone else in the clan.

Zack stared. The figure in front of him was the most beautiful person he had ever seen.

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Shado: Well, not sure if this was a true prologue. But here it is anyways. Hope you liked.

1) Cloud is a vampire, he just has the power to shapeshift because of his clan. More will be explained in the next chap.

Kaosu = chaos

Hyoukyo = Curse

Boutoku = Curse

Review plz!

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	2. Decisions Decisions

Shado: I think I'll regret this later, but I'll update anyway.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 1 **Decisions Decisions

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It's been about two weeks since Zack brought in a stranger into the clan. And by now Cloud has warmed their hearts enough for the clan to be at ease with him around. The strange creature was smart, easily avoiding anyone who tried to pick a fight on him because he was a stranger and not to mention he smelled of the forest, which could mean he was dangerous. What the clan learned was that anything from the forest was dangerous, and had unusual strength to match even the strongest werewolves in this peaceful clan.

But somehow, Cloud easily earned everyone's trust. Many thought it was his looks, others thought the blond came from a respective clan. But most thought of the former. Aeritheven noticed how Zack fell head over heels for the blond. Of course now there was a festival coming up within the next few days, and there would be tournaments of strength. Zack was to enter as to be expected, and everyone was curious if Cloud was to entertoo. After all, no one knew how strong this stranger could be.

"Will he be able to join the festival in three days?" Angeal pondered.

"He may, it depends on how well his lungs healed by then. He's doing really good now, but there's still a hint of crackling in his lungs." Aerith informed.

"Hm...do you know what may have caused this?" the leader asked, crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

Aerith shook her head. "I wouldn't know. But in order for something like this to happen, was that he either inhaled too much dust or dry air and he was dehydrated. It couldn't have been an illness, but he doesn't show any other symptoms."

"Strange. This could mean he's hiding something, or his immune system is extensively strong to hide such symptoms." Angeal thought out loud, rubbing his chin.

"It would most likely that his immune system healed what the other symptoms were, but its taking a while for his lungs." the healer explained. "Then again, he's no werewolf..."

"You noticed too?"

"I'm a healer, the second most powerful werewolf after you. That is, until Zack takes over." Aerith pointed out.

"Touche. Then what clan do think he's from? All I can think of is the Boutoku Clan. But there hasn't been any signs of them for many years. The last contact was during the time the leader's lover was murdered." Angeal sighed, unsure how to bring up the subject to Cloud without making the younger run away out of fear.

"That would be most likely. But, let's not bring that up to him. He's a fragile thing, and I think him being here makes him feel safe and happy. Asking him about where he came from, he might break away from us and never return." the healer said, making a potion to help Cloud's lung heal better.

"You sound like you want him to stay." Angeal raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I notice that he may be the one for Zack. Even if they're not the same." Aerith smiled. "And don't ask how we're going to stop this. You know us healers can visualize the future, and I can tell you that this bond will remain strong no matter what happens."

"I certainly hope so. Zack doesn't have the heart to get over the loss of someone he loves." Angeal lowered his gaze.

"I don't think he'll loose Cloud. Sure, our race maybe enemies to Cloud's, but that doesn't stop the power of love. And, I may not know which clan he came from, but I can tell there's at least one person who will protect Cloud at any cost." the healer explained while she mixed the herbs.

"Then all I have to worry about is what I always do. Make sure that my son doesn't die before me." Angeal chuckled, taking his leave.

* * *

Zack's tail and ears were showing off, even if he was in human form. For some odd reason the young werewolf loved to keep his ears and tail out. Mostly because he loved to feel his tail wag when he was happy. Which happened to be almost all the time. Not to mention if you got too close, his tail was like a whip when it wagged and hit your leg. The black tail may have a bushel of fur on, but it still hurt when it struck you unawares.

And now, Zack was wagging his tail as he gave the grand tour of his home with Cloud. The blond finally got the go ahead to leave Aerith's house, so long he didn't run or fast walked. And, even though it felt awkward, Cloud smiled everytime he saw Zack's wagging tail as the werewolf squealed in pure joy.

"So, puppy, do you always show off your ears and tail?" Cloud playfully asked.

"Yup! It feels weird when I'm happy and my tail isn't around to wag, so I leave it out." Zack grinned, for once not minding being called by his nickname.

_Not to mention they make you look cute..._ Cloud mentally slapped himself. He was a vampire! He shouldn't call a werewolf, one of the main creatures that kill his kind, cute! What made him feel a little worse was that he was calling the future _leader_ of this clan, cute.

"So this is the best restaurant around and..." Zack was interrupted by a loud growl from Cloud's stomach.

The blond bit his lower lip. "Sorry...didn't eat much this morning."

"Oh well, its around lunch time anyways. By the way, are you naturally pale? You're almost like a ghost..." Zack tilted his head.

Cloud blinked. "Oh...um, as far as I can remember I was always this pale. I guess I got it from my father, he's paler than I am. I wouldn't know about my mother..."

"You lost her too?" the werewolf frowned.

The blond nodded.

"I lost my mother too at a young age. I barely remember her..." Zack sighed. "Anywho! Let's go eat!"

Cloud blinked when he was grabbed by the wrist and dragged into the supposedly best restaruant in the clan. Once inside Zack immediately ordered a stake for the blond, and some ribs with chicken for himself. When their orders came, Cloud could only wonder how the werewolf could _eat_ so much food. Zack's food was twice as large as Cloud's, not to mention the plate almost took over the whole table.

"How can you eat that?" Cloud nearly hissed in surprise.

"Cuz I love to eat!" Zack grinned.

The blond felt like throwing up whatever what was in his stomach, which wasn't much. Afraid of being inpolite, Cloud still ate. When he put a piece into his mouth, he softly sucked down the blood still in the stake, since the meat was mostly raw or cooked with flavorings but somehow the blood stayed in. Even with him sucking his main nutrients, Cloud still ate in a normal pace so that Zack won't get curious and rouse suspicion from the others in the restaurant.

When they were almost done, Zack blinked and tilted his head.

"You got some color returning..."

_Crap! I forgot that when I eat my skin tone changes! _Cloud nearly showed his panic, but somehow kept his expression calm. He thought quickly, trying to come up with a little lie that the werewolf would follow without asking questions. Cloud bit his lower lip slightly.

"I haven't eaten an actual meal the last few days, I guess I didn't have much of an appetite until now." Cloud smiled weakly, hoping it worked.

"Oh. Well then, I'll make sure you eat more!" Zack's wide grin was back.

The blond mentally sighed, glad that he escaped that question. At least for now that is, he hoped that no one else would pester him why he was so pale until after he ate something. In fact, Cloud was surprised he lasted two weeks here. But he would have to leave soon, his father might be throwing orders for a search party. That or the most likely possibility of his father leaving the small clan to search himself.

"Hey, Zack." a voice greeted behind them.

"Hey Kunsel! You got a message for me?" Zack grinned.

"Actually, this is for Cloud. Angeal needs to talk to him." Kunsel explained. "And it has to be now."

The blond bit his lower lip, glancing at the half finished food in front of him. It didn't seem right to leave suddenly and not finish the food, especially when he was a guest to the clan. Cloud didn't like to impose, especially to a clan that wasn't his.

"Now?"

"Now as in now. But if you still want your food, I'll personally take it to Aerith. She'll hold onto it, since you're still her patient and all." Kunsel offered kindly.

Cloud stared at the werewolf messenger for a moment. He was one of Zack's friends, if their greeting was any indication. So the blond nodded, deciding to hand his trust into the messenger with the offer.

"Right. Go meet him at his place. And Zack, you're not invited so don't even think of trying to get yourself into trouble." Kunsel warned as he packed up the meat.

"Aw...how is it that you knew what I was gonna do?" the werewolf prince frowned.

"You're too easy to read. Now you're coming along with me, just for good measure. Your father told me to keep you distracted long enough so he could talk to Cloud in peace." Kunsel laughed.

"Oh, fine." Zack got up, following the messenger.

With a sigh, Cloud stood up and made his way to the leader's house. He knew his way around now, and it was easy to find the center of the island where Angeal lived. While he was making his way to the center, he had this strange feeling of being watched. As he walked farther and farther away from the restaurant, he started to get the feeling he was being followed.

Tensing, Cloud picked up the pace and hurried along his way. But who ever was following him was running to keep up. That didn't surprise the blond that his stalker had to run while he sprinted, vampires had an unusual amount of speed and they could keep up the pace for a very long time where they could easily tire out a werewolf.

He was just about to turn a corner when he ran into someone. With a yelp, Cloud immediately apologized and glanced up at the werewolf he ran into. The blond couldn't help but stare, the big man in front of him had dark skin, a vest and what looked like part of a fish net under the open vest. The man's left hand was a silver mechanical one, which seemed slightly bigger than his real hand.

"Oi, yer th' boy Zack brought in. What's da hurry?" the stranger asked.

"Someone's following me." Cloud frowned when someone tried to grab him from behind.

"Oi! You jus' leave 'em be! He's our guest." the big man shoved the attacker off the blond, the mechanical hand transforming into a gun within seconds.

Cloud glanced at his attacker, it was a young werewolf not much older than him, with black hair somewhat similiar to Zack's but much shorter. The blond was even more shocked at the eyes, they were a pale blue with white irisis, indicating the werewolf was blind. Cloud stepped back, scared of this stranger. This blind werewolf had the aura of hardship, and worse still Cloud had the feeling that the blind one had trouble growing up.

"Jus' get goin' Wolfe. Dis boy had done nothin'." the big man huffed.

The blind werewolf scowled. "Can't you use your nose? He's not a werewolf!"

Cloud stepped back once more, he was frightened now if he was going to be chased out of the clan. He knew he had to leave soon, but he didn't want to leave by being chased. Not to mention he didn't know there was a blind werewolf in the clan, where his senses were stronger than most because of lost eyesight.

"Jus' get goin' an' leave 'em be. Ya wan' me ter report ta Angeal of yer boisteroushbehavior?" the elder crossed his arms with a grin.

Scowling, Wolfe stepped back and walked off in defeat. The blond sighed in relief, glanding up at the big man in front of him.

"Thank you."

"Nah. Any guest deserves ta 'ave his space. The name's Barret." the werewolf extended his real hand.

"Cloud." the blond shook the offered hand, noticing how small his own hand was compared to the other.

"An' what'chadoin' all alone? I though' ya were always with Zack." Barret asked.

"Eh...I have an urgent meeting with Angeal." Cloud explained.

"Th'en my girl Marlene could escort ya. No one picks on her, or else there's hell ta pay." Barret grinned confidently, just as a girl by the age of six or seven stepped out of the house and waved.

Cloud blinked, the girl was around the same age as the orphan boy he befriended in his clan. They had the same shy and playful aura about them. And the vampire couldn't help but smile at the girl and wave back.

"Let's go!" Marlene smiled, grabbing Cloud's hand and lead the way.

"So, Barret's your father?" the blond asked when they were out of range.

"Yup. He took me in when I was three. My parents went to heaven from an illness, and that's when Daddy took me in." the girl explained, still smiling.

_Three? That's the same age when I took in Denzel..._Cloud thought to himself. If anything, these two were the same age. But completely different. Marlene was more out going, and liked to smile a lot. Denzel was more conservative and always came to Cloud when he was either in trouble, or needed comfort. The blond started to feel guilty, the poor boy was probably having a fright just as bad as his father.

_I need to get out of here...But what about Zack? I can see that he has a crush on me. And...I think I have the same feelings. But I have to leave before I reach my heat in three days. It might be better anyway because of Wolfe, he might spread rumours about me. But Angeal is kind, he allowed me to stay and heal for two weeks. Oh Gaia, what should I do? _Cloud questioned himself, frowning.

"Why are you sad?" Marlene tilted her head at him.

"I...there's a family I need to get back to. But I don't know how to repay your clan for helping me heal. You see, I had an illness too, so I had to leave my clan so that no one else would get sick. There's so few of us already, I couldn't damage my clan even more." Cloud explained, still frowning.

"Maybe you could help Zack find a mate. He may have the skills to be the next leader, but he needs a mate. Without one, he won't be able to earn respect from the rest of the clan." Marlene said innocently.

_If only she knew he has his eyes on me..._ Cloud smiled weakly.

"Maybe. I'll have to see what Angeal wants to talk to me about first."

"All right."

Five minutes later, they reached the center of the island. Cloud waved good bye to the girl, who waved back with a smile. When she was out of sight Cloud stared at the building in front of him, feeling nervous. He stepped in front of the door and knocked.

"The door's open."

Cloud opened the door and stepped in. Angeal was in the kitchen putting away the dishes of whatever he had for lunch.

"You wanted to see me?" the blond asked nervously.

"Yes. I've been noticing how Zack's been spending time with you. He's even told me you're cute."

Cloud blushed, staring at the floor.

"Ah, I see you noticed this too. I know what you are, and I'm not going to be prejudice. But what worries me, is what clan you're from." Angeal said, drying off his hands.

The vampire gulped. "I...I can't say. My clan is in few numbers, I don't wish for anymore troubles on my clan when we're defenseless now."

"The plague a few years back?"

"It was worse on us." Cloud stated.

"Why haven't you found help? If your clan is weak, why not seek help?"

"My father wishes not to. He doesn't want to risk the rest of the clan to be slaughtered because there's so few of us we can't defend ourselves very long." the blond growled.

"Hm...all right then. You can go. I'd like to offer help, if I knew who this leader is."

"...It's V.V." Cloud said before he bolted out the door.

Angeal blinked and rubbed his chin in thought.

"V.V...my god that man is still alive."

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Cloud ran to the far edge of the island, hoping he didn't just endanger his clan. When he reached the river Cloud stopped to breathe, sitting down to stare at his relfection in the water. The blond stared, finding that his reflection was foreign, somehow. Cloud guessed it was because he could tell that he was somehow stuck between what he knew he wanted, and what he knew he must do for his clan.

It was only a guess, but Cloud had this feeling that his father wished that he was to be the next leader. His half brothers had problems that didn't qualify them to be a leader. Only one had the potiential, but deep down Cloud knew that his older half brother was the same as the younger siblings.

Cloud meanwhile, was as sane as his father. He was born from a different mother, an affair that he knew his father would never regret. After all, at least there was hope for a non-pshycotic leader in the near future. Only there was a small problem.

Zack's been trying to woo him the past two weeks.

And it would be in a matter of time before the blond finally gives in.

"Why are you here?"

Cloud looked over his shoulder to see Wolfe standing behind him.

* * *

Shado: There. Hope you enjoyed.

About Wolfe: Well, I couldn't come up with any good names. Then I thought, since he's blind, he can act like a wolf in a way. Just think of him a little like an outcast who is really soft and kind inside.

Review plz!

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	3. Unexpected

Shado: I'm sick...with a cold, and I'm completely bored. And at the moment I only have ideas on how to update this story, the others need more time to think on and need more time not to mention they're more complicated in plots.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 2 **Unexpected

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Vincent Valentine, leader of the Kaosu Clan, stood at the edge of a cliff that had the view of the valley below. Thinking back the first week one of his son's left to heal by himself. The leader was reluctant to allow Cloud to leave, until his son pointed out that the illness will only devastate the already heavily damaged clan. Over half of the clan and then some were lost due to the mysterious plague a few years back. So to protect what's left of his clan, Vincent let his favorite son go.

The first week since the blond was gone, no one noticed. Well, no one but the seven year old Denzel. The boy was always following Cloud like a baby brother. In a way Cloud was his brother, when the kind vampire prince took in the boy when his parents died of the plague. Many victims lost parents and loved ones, Vincent was almost consumed with the plage himself, but somehow overcame the deadly disease because of his inner demon.

The clan was still healing from their sudden and rapid decline in numbers all from a simple illness from their prey. Even now, no one knew how the plague spread so quickly. Vincent was lucky enough to survive, while others who faced the plague died within days. The leader's inner demons took care of the serious affects of the disease, while Vincent's own strong immune system took care of the rest. Rarely do any illnesses take down a vampire, especially the type in this clan.

The Kaosu Clan was known to be the most immune vampires around. There was a legend on the clan was cursed to be more demon-like, the curse was supposedly casted from a healer in a werewolf clan. The effects was that the whole clan (besides Vincent, he was a prince born from the Turk Clan) would turn blood thirsty and acquire supernatural powers. Which would explain why many of the vampires within the clan could shapeshift, while Vincent had the ability of outrunning even the fastest creature around thanks to his inner demon passed on from the previous leader.

In one particular family, which so happened to be the original royal family of the clan, started to have psychological problems. Vincent at first didn't want to marry Jenova, but he didn't want to see this violent clan to take out others who loved in the valley. It was that very reason why Vincent left the safety and well ordered home clan, and married the only offspring from the previous leaders. Because of this, Vincent changed from a hopeful vampire, to a more distant and took action when his clan was threatened.

Because he was raised in the Turk Clan, Vincent's intuition and caution were his keys to staying alive so long in the Kaosu Clan. Many had believed he cheated somehow, finding some sort of power to make him young every three hundred years. How the leader wanted to wreck who ever started that rumor and tear them into bloody pieces. Instead Vincent ignored them, continuing on his vision of keeping his clan peaceful and as of right now, in hiding.

With the numbers of the clan so low, there was a very high chance neighboring vampires or werewolves would certainly take advantage. Vincent considered asking a favor with Tseng, the young new leader of the Turk Clan out of marriage, but that would only create more problems. What Vincent learned over the years, was that the Kaosu Clan had a great amount of pride, or for some like Cloud, wouldn't ask for help because they were more conservative and very few times, were shy.

This behavior was so much different than his home clan, Vincent had to quickly adjust himself otherwise he wouldn't be here today. For the leader also learned that most of the vampires had very little patience, and easy to get them on a tempered rampage. Vincent learned of the little patience the hard way, when Jenova was still alive, she wanted many children. And with much regret, Vincent made that happen.

At first, when Sephiroth was a toddler, Vincent thought he wouldn't mind raising a child. And he only wanted to raise _one_. But Jenova got more demanding, not to mention she kept screaming and yelling at Vincent over the smallest of things. She even hit Sephiroth just to get Vincent to go along with her ideas. But most of Jenova's abuse failed when Vincent grabbed his son and ran out of the house and settled Sephiroth with the healers so he could deal with Jenova.

The woman gave such distress to Vincent, he usually left her with Cid and his buddies so she couldn't leave the house or do much of anything. With Jenova out of his business, Vincent went on with gaining his reputation and respect from the clan. At a certain point, he met a woman who somehow carved a path into his heart, and he unwillingly fell in love. The woman was beautiful, sweet, and most of all Vincent's vision for a wife he so dearly wanted.

And without meaning to, he had a child with her. When Cloud was born, Vincent convinced his love to live on the outskirts of the clan, and kept their son a secret. Somehow Jenova found out, and brutally murdered Cloud's mother. Before the phscyological vampire could hurt Cloud, Sephiroth stepped in and held the crying infant protectively. Sephiroth managed to give Vincent and his close friends in the clan enough time to arrive at the small hut, and dragged Jenova away.

Years later, Jenova died giving birth to Kadaj. Before the last heir, was two more after Sephiroth. Cloud was caught between the three younger heirs, and the eldest. Many in the clan thought that Cloud wasn't considered a vampire prince, because of his birth mother and her affair with the leader. It took Vincent a trip to hell and back many times to keep Cloud in the family, and even more agony to keep his favorite son alive.

And now here he was, five sons and no wife, and only one choice to choose the next leader. Cloud, the lovechild. Out of all of his sons, Cloud was the only heir who didn't have similiar psychological problems as their mother. Now that it's been two weeks, Vincent started to get worried. Since his son left Denzel's been following him, and the youngest of his sons were beginning to get restless. What Vincent noticed over the years that when ever Cloud went missing for a long time, the younger brothers get restless and cause mayhem.

Especially Kadaj, who seemed to have major mood swings that often got him into trouble. What worries Vincent most was when Kadaj got angry, there was nothing that Yazoo or Loz could do to stop the baby in the family. More than often did Vincent compare Kadaj to Jenova, even though they never officially met when she died after giving birth to the boy. They had the same mood swings, that were uncontrollable and more than often random. Vincent was more than thrilled when he learned that Kadaj would never use violence or abuse during his mood swings unless it was someone who hurt his family.

Another thorn in the leader's side, was his eldest son. The one everyone expected to be the next leader, the all mighty and powerful Sephiroth. Since he was a boy, Sephiroth was a prodigy. He was smart, handsome, fast, and strong. At first Vincent thought his first son didn't have the _condition_ his mother had, but when Sephiroth reached his teen years did that change the leader's mind.

Sephiroth began to distance himself from everyone, and it nearly broke Vincent's heart for they were close until that point in time. They even shared the same dream to bring peace into the clan, and even that changed and broke a piece of Vincent's heart. Sephiroth was close to Cloud as well, until that particular part in time where the elder brother began to show his true self. Since then Cloud kept mostly to himself and only conversed with Vincent or Denzel.

Vincent shook his head, taking his mind off such hard times of such stress of keeping his family together and his clan in line. That was something he didn't want to go through again. Yet now he could see that it could happen very soon if Cloud doesn't return within the next few days. Without the blond vampire, there was a smaller chance to keep his family at peace. Even though the younger brothers didn't like Cloud much, they didn't give him much scornful hatred compared to Sephiroth.

A familiar scent filled Vincent's senses, the healer in the clan was steadily making her way to the leader with a fuming arua about her. She was strong and stubborn, but always cared for the sick and wounded. Vincent glanced up at her when she stopped a good three feet away from him. She may be brave, but she knew when to step back once in a while. She should appreciate that Vincent had enough self control to stop his demons.

"Have you seen Denzel? I was supposed to give him his dinner, he never showed up. I've checked all over camp before coming to you." Tifa asked, a bit of anxiety in her voice.

Vincent blinked. "I haven't seen him."

"So he's not with you." it was more of a statement than a question.

The leader's left eye twitched. "How long has it been since you've seen him?"

"I'd reckon three hours. Half an hour ago I started to look around." Tifa crossed her arms.

"What happened?" Sephiroth stepped out of no where.

"Denzel's missing." Tifa said bluntly.

Again Vincent's eye twitched. _Another excuse to hurt Cloud. Thanks, healer._

"Kadaj said something about seeing the boy exploring the forest." the eldest prince replied calmly.

_More like saw him and did nothing to bring him back. _Vincent stood up, now using most of his will to keep his demons asleep.

"In the forest? That's where Cloud went two weeks ago. Damn the boy, he must have gone after Cloud!" Tifa stomped her foot.

_Damn indeed._

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Vincent ran, more like flew over the ground with his high speed, following Denzel's scent trail. He had Tifa stay at camp, in charge since she was a healer and the next strongest in the clan. Even if Sephiroth happened to be unnaturally strong and god-like, he dared not to challenge Tifa even when he was tempted. It was considered a disgrace to challenge the healer, and the punishment most of the time was exile.

With a low growl, Vincent found himself standing at the edge of the forest and staring straight at a field of tall grass. Across the other side was the ideal camp of the Angel Clan. With a huff, the leader hid in the shadows and closed his eyes. Without awakening three of the four demons, Vincent contacted Chaos, the main demon passed down from generation, from his inner mind. The demon stirred slightly, growling lowly.

_Now what?_ Chaos grumbled, not used to being disturbed in his sleep.

_Allow me to shapeshift. I need to blend in if I'm going anywhere near a werewolf territory. _Vincent enlightened.

_Fine. Don't disturb me again._ Chaos growled, transferring his shapeshifting powers into the leader.

A surge of power innitiated through Vincent's body, the strange transfer of shapeshifting created a warm feeling in his blood. The warmth felt foreign, and when it left his body Vincent thought for a moment he missed it. With another huff, Vincent brushed the thought out of the way and concentrating on his new power. When Vincent opened his eyes he realized he was shorter. It took a few moments for the leader to realize he was a wolf, and that Chaos actually did what Vincent asked for once.

Shrugging off Chaos's odd behavior, Vincent continued on Denzel's trail. He didn't know if he was lucky when he followed the boy's scent going past the werewolf camp, or that this made his attempt to retrieve Denzel within an hour just extended to about three more hours. Whatever gave the boy such an idea to find Cloud, Vincent would make sure that Denzel won't have so much freedom until the blond came back to take care of the boy.

Vincent took a glance at the main camp, there was a hint of familiarity in the air. It had to have something to do with Angeal's successful leadership of managing his clan to be peaceful to the point they could pass off as humans if they wanted to. Still being wary, Vincent silently trotted after Denzel's trail. The leader paused when he saw a small pup curled up a few yards ahead of him, scared and cowering.

Now taking in the scent, Vincent sighed and relaxed a little when he recognized Denzel's scent came from the pup. The leader stepped forward cautiously, gently nuzzling the shivering pup. Denzel whimpered before glancing up, instantly crawling to Vincent's warm fur and hid between the elder's legs.

Just when Vincent was about to suggest they leave, his sensitive ears heard a twig snap behind. Twirling around the elder snarled, using his long fur to his advantage of hiding Denzel as well as protecting the whimpering pup. Vincent glared at a small group of werewolves, about three or four, still snarling in defense at the strangers. A few moments and it took Vincent to realize that this group was from the Angel Clan.

"What are you doing here old timer?" asked the blind werewolf boldly.

Vincent almost felt like knocking some sense into the blind werewolf, but refrained. If he did anything here, his inner demons would surely awaken.

"Just passing through. I'm returning my grandson to his aunt. We're on a long journey towards the ocean areas." Vincent said, thanking what ever force above that he was a Turk vampire to pull off simple lies.

"The ocean? That's a very long journey for an old timer like you. You'd be like, what, an ancient by now?" the blind one mocked.

"You dare mock me?" the elder growled, baring his fangs.

"Wait, we shouldn't make him angry." a familiar voice reasoned.

Vincent froze when his eyes set on a wolf with golden yellow fur, and deep blue eyes.

_Damn._

_

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_

Cloud nervously spoke in defense for his father. The blond knew that if another remark to Vincent's age, and his father's inner demons would surely cause trouble not to mention more problemic drama for the Kaosu Clan. He didn't know why Vincent was here in a werewolf territory, and so close to where Cloud was taking refuge at, but he knew that if he didn't do something then there would be more than trouble.

Wolfe's ears flickered to Cloud's direction, no doubt noticing the nervous tone. The other two werewolves took a step back, they felt uncomfortable to be around this elder for too long. Cloud stepped forward to try and gently nudge Wolfe out of Vincent's way. The blind werewolf hesitated, before moving out of the way.

"Thank you. Now let's go boy." the elder huffed, nudging the cowering pup to walk.

The pup's ears perked when he saw Cloud, and the boy was about to speak when the elder's tail brushed in front of the pup's face. The pup sneezed, and took the hint to follow silently. Cloud mentally sighed in relief, watching them go. The group headed back to their main camp, done with the chore of keeping tabs on the edges of the territory. It wasn't until they reached the other group who took on the west side of the territory that Cloud began to worry.

"Who was that elder and pup?" Zack asked.

"We let them through, the elder was taking the pup to his aunt near the ocean." Cloud explained before Wolfe could say a word.

"Shouldn't we ask if they need a place to stay the night?" the werewolf prince tilted his head.

"No, the elder has this...uncomfortable aura about him. It'd make things feel awkward at home. Besides, we already have a guest." Wolfe nearly scowled at the word 'guest'.

"You guys sure?" Zack pressed on.

"Yes, we're sure. Can we go back now?" Cloud was nearly having a panic attack.

"Ok then..." Zack's ears flattened slightly, unsure what to make of Cloud's odd behavior.

After cleaning licking away the numbness in his paws, Cloud glanced up to see Wolfe standing over him. The others who were on terriotory duty were reporting to Angeal. Wolfe was an exception to not report anything, since he was blind and didn't want anything to do with the leader. After all, Cloud found out early that day that Wolfe was Angeal's nephew.

_Flashback_

_"What are you doing here?"_

_Cloud looked over his shoulder to see Wolfe standing behind him._

_"I...I just needed some place to think about my situation."_

_"And what would that be?" Wolfe raised an eyebrow._

_The blond sighed. "I'm...caught between what I want, and I have to do." _

_"You mean like, leave to your family is what you have to do?" the blind werewolf sat down next to Cloud._

_Cloud felt wary, but for some reason there was no hint of anger from the werewolf. It seemed that Wolfe must have gotten his anger out of his system while the blond was conversing with Angeal._

_"Yea. That is something I have to do before..."_

_"Before...?"_

_"Before I reach my heat." Cloud averted his gaze to the water._

_"Ah. And what is it that you want, if it makes you unsure whether or not to return back to your family?" Wolfe tilted his head._

_"Why are you asking me this?"_

_"Because I'm the second choice for this clan's leader." _

_"What? How? You're older than Zack aren't you?" Cloud blinked._

_"I am. But I'm Angeal's nephew. If Zack isn't qualified, then I'm the next best thing. And, I want nothing to do with becoming leader. But if I have to, then I will." Wolfe shrugged._

_"Why? Why would you do it, even if you don't want to?"_

_"I don't know how you grew up, vampire, but I grew up to always keep your honor, and do what you can to protect your clan." the werewolf said, now laying down with his hands behind his head._

_"I grew up with pshycological brothers and only my father appreciated me. My older brother used to be nice to me, but he too went crazy." Cloud explained, tugging his knees to his chest._

_"Man, and I thought I had it tough." Wolfe sat up. "But, I think I know what's keeping you here. It'd be Zack right?"_

_"Y-Yea..."_

_"Heh, everyone likes him. I may be jealous of Zack, but that doesn't mean I don't like him." the werewolf shrugged._

_"I have a couple of questions."_

_"Ask away."_

_"Why are you being so nice to me now? And how come I didn't know of you until today?" Cloud tilted his head._

_"Oh, well I thought you were a spy or something. That's why I reacted the way I did, until I started thinking. You were a guest, and I'm sure Angeal knew what you are, so I shouldn't have scared you like that." Wolfe chuckled. _

_"As for why you didn't know about me til now, was that I was sent to check what our neighbors are doing. I'm no spy, I just go to the edge of each terriotory and make sure the others are doing fine."_

_"Oh..." _

_"No worries, I only reported that the other clans are doing fine. Yours doesn't need us pestering them, while you're here as a guest at the same time." Wolfe quickly added._

_"Thank you." Cloud smiled._

_"No problem."_

_End of Flashback_

"You knew them, didn't you? Especially the elder." Wolfe stated.

"He...that was my father." Cloud averted his gaze.

"No wonder you were nervous. Well, when you return tell give him my apologies." the blind werewolf turned and walked away.

Cloud watched Wolfe go, still slightly wary of the werewolf.

_Perhaps I'm just too cautious, Vincent always said I would have been great in the Turk Clan._ The blond shrugged, now walking around on two legs and headed to Aerith's place.

On his way to the healer's house, the blond literally ran into Zack who was running around trying to find Cloud. It happened when Cloud walked around a corner, when Zack came running by and ran into the blond. With a yelp, Cloud fell backwards and landed on his back. The wind got knocked out of him when something fell on top of his chest. When Cloud opened his eyes, he realized the object on top of him was _Zack_.

"Oh my god I'm sorry! I was searching for you and I panicked." Zack's ears flattened while his face flushed in embarrassment.

"Gah...can you please get off?" Cloud gasped, doing his best on trying to breathe.

Instead of doing what he was asked, Zack stayed there, staring at the blond. Cloud wiggled, trying to push the werewolf off him but found that he wasn't strong enough.

"Zack?"

"Your scent is sweeter than usual." the werewolf prince said with a husky voice.

Cloud shivered, nearly gasped when Zack nuzzled his cheek. Their lips mere centimeters apart, such closeness the blond shuddered and involuntarily arched his back against Zack's chest. The werewolf purred, his instincts took over while his hands held the blond's hips to keep him there. Then something clicked in Cloud's mind when Zack was leaning closer for a kiss.

_No! I can't! My heat must have come early! _Cloud swatted the werewolf away, before getting up and ran as fast as he could to Aerith's house. The blond didn't stop when his name was called from Zack, and kept on running when the werewolf started chasing after him. The vampire ran, he bolted through Aerith's door and quickly closed it, turning the lock.

"Cloud, what's wrong?" Aerith stood up, frightened that someone was attacking her patient.

"Help me! I'm in heat, and Zack's after me!" Cloud cried, wishing he had followed Vincent home.

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Shado: Haha! Cliffe! XDD Took me a while to get a good part of Vincent in here, and explain more about the Kaosu Clan while I somehow got Wolfe's talk with Cloud in the middle of everything! Phew...at least I don't have this raging headache trying to put this chap together.

Review plz!

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